What is the Falcons front office thinking?

Free agency is underway in the NFL, and teams are throwing big money at players fast and furiously. These teams believe they can upgrade their roster by paying big money to veteran players. The Atlanta Falcons, however, are in a totally different situation.

Coming off a Super Bowl run that saw the Falcons come up just short, fans might think the Falcons need just one more key player to get this franchise its first Lombardi trophy.

Fans should instead expect the Falcons to be frugal and strategic with any free agents they sign. We know they aren’t just sitting around hoping to get better, because they have entertained signing free agents such as Dontati Poe, Nick Perry, and Rex Burkhead.

The Falcons front office is one of the best in football. They understand the value of the draft against free agency. They also understand just how good the roster is they already have. They also found four starting defensive players from one rookie class last year.

Be patient Falcons fans, because the Falcons are going to add excellent players to their roster. The front office knows they can find value in a very deep draft class. Better yet, this draft class is deep where the Falcons roster isn’t; the trenches.

General Managers and scouts at the NFL Combine said that this is one of the deepest classes in recent memory in the trenches. Starting caliber lineman can be found as late as the fourth round, which gives the Falcons a ton of options.

The Falcons don’t have the cap space to throw $60 million at a guard or $50 million at a pass rusher in free agency. They do have six draft picks to add another four potential starters to an already young, deep, and talented roster. That is how you build a winning NFL franchise.

Josh Schultz is a staff writer for Pro Football Spot’s Atlanta Falcons Coverage. Follow Josh on twitter @draftblackboard and on his Facebook page: Josh Schultz, Pro Football Spot.